Controlling and locking means for sectional sliding doors.



H. G. VOIGHT.

CONTROLLING AND LOCKING MEANS FOR SEOTIONAL SLIDING DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25, 1912.

1,083,960. Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY G. VOIG'HT, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

CONTROLLING AND LOCKING MEANS FOR SECTIONAL SLIDING DOORS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY G. VOIGI-Il, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Britain, county of Hartford, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling and Locking Means for Sectional Sliding Doors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to means for controlling and locking sectional sliding doors. With doors of this description, it is very essential that all sections thereof should reach the limit of their opening movement simultaneously, and that the maximum opening be thereby secured. In order to accomplish this result, one door section naturally has to move faster than the other or others, and in order to so open the door sections, and to close them automatically and to lock them in that position, it requires that the controlling means be connected to all door sections. The device of my invention provides means whereby said doors may be opened manually with a minimum expendi ture of energy and whereby said doors may be automatically closed and locked against accidental retraction from closed position.

These and other advantages will be clearly seen from the more detailed description following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof and illustrating a preferable embodiment of the invention.

In these drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary View in front elevation of the inner side of a door and easing, with the device of my invention applied thereto, the view being taken from the inner or car side of an elevator well to a door of which the device has been applied for the purposes of illustration. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale of part of the controlling means shown in Fi 1.

Re erring to the drawings by numerals, 1 and 2 designate respectively, the forward and rear sections of a sliding door, and 3 the stationary door casing. Pivotally mounted at 1, adjacent the forward edge of the forward door section 1 is a lever member 5, having its rear end pivotally connected at 6 to the forward end of a. second lever member 7 whose rear end in Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 25, 1912.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

Serial No. 722,224.

turn is pivotally mounted at 8 on a wall bracket 9, these two lever members 5 and 7 forming a toggle. The rear lever 7 adjacent its rear and pivoted end is provided with a transverse arm 10 having its lower end operatively connected to a power cylinder 11, which in turn is pivotally mounted at its lower end upon a wall bracket 12. A link 13 has its rear end pivotally connected to the rear lever 7 at a point intermediate its ends, as at 14, and has its forward end pivotally connected at 15 to the channel bar 16 to which the rear end of the rear sliding section 2 of the door is secured and by which it is carried. This channel bar 16 is of such width as to enable the rear end of forward sliding section of the door to be seated within its channel portion. lVhile this construction is preferable, other means of connecting the forward pivoted end of the link 13 to the rear sliding section 2 of the door may be employed.

The power contained with the cylinder 11 normally tends to pull downwardly the arm 10 and the levers 5 and 7, so that the two sliding sections of the doors move forwardly to close position, their adjacent ends of course, overlapping to some slight extent as shown. When these sections have reached a door closed position, the toggle lever members 5 and 7 will be straightened out in horizontal alinement so as to afford a dead center lock against door opening movement on the part of all sections.

The pivot 1 on which the forward end of the toggle lever 5 is mounted, is carried by a door plate 17, suitably secured to the forward sliding section of the door adjacent its forward edge. This plate has pilvottally mounted thereon at 18 a controlling lever or handle 19. At a point in vertical alinement with and below the pivot 18, an arm 20 is pivotally mounted upon the door plate 17 at 20, this arm being provided with a curved slot 21 therein and rearwardly thereof. A pin 22 carried by the toggle lever member 5 rides in this slot 21 of the arm 17. The plate 17 is also provided with a second curved slot 23 struck on the pivot 20 as a center, and a pivot 24 carried by the controlling lever 19 rides in this slot, and when the door is closed, abuts against the arm 20 at the rear end of said slot, the pin 22 carried by the toggle lever 25 also abutting against the arm 20 at the rear end of the slot 21 and preventing the possibility of downward movement on the part of the toggle lever members 5 and 7 beyond dead center or horizontal alined position when the door is closed.

It will be evident that with the parts in the position shown in Fig. l, the controlling lever 19 may be freely moved to the right, this movement also causing a corresponding movement on the part of the arm 20, so that its slotted portion 21 will ride over the pin and act as a cam to move toggle lever 5 upwardly to break the dead center lock. By the time the arm 20 has been moved to effect this result, the rear edge of the controlling lever 19 engages a stationary abutment stud 25, carried by the door plate 17, so that at the end of this limited free movement a further and continued pull in the same direction on said controlling lever 19 will serve to move the door sections to open position and against the force of the power cylinder 11,

this operation being accomplished with minimum effort owing to the great leverage secured through the transverse arm 10. As the arm 20 moves upwardly, its slotted portion 23 will ride over the pin 2% carried by the controlling lever 19.

As the rear toggle lever 7 is moved upwardly and rearwardly with the opening of the door, it will through link 13, move the rear section 2 of the sliding door rearwardly also, but at a slower speed than the forward section 1. This forward section 1 is of course, retracted or moved to the rear at a greater speed than the rear section owing to the increased leverage secured by the toggle levers 5 and 7. The components of the toggle levers 5 and 7 and of the toggle lever 7 and link 13, are of course so figured as to bring both sections of the door to the limit of their opening movement simultaneously.

The specific form of controlling lever and controlling arm is not claimed herein per 86, as this is shown and described in detail in my Patent No. 1,O4:1,7067 dated October 15, 1912.

After the door sections have been moved to fully opened position by the operator, the controlling handle 19 is held until it is desired to close the door, whereupon it is released, and the force of the power cylinder 11 will move the toggle levers 5 and 7 and link 13 downwardly, thereby moving the door sections forward to closed position and placing the levers 5 and 7 forming the toggle in horizontal alinement to automatically lock the door closed.

While I have herein shown and described only two sliding door sections, the number of said sections and their connections may be varied within the accomplishments of the objects recited and various other structural modifications are possible within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

lVhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, in combination, a plurality of complemental sliding door sections, a stationary abutment, a movable arm carried by one of said sections and operatively connected to said abutment, operative connections between said arm and the remainder of said sliding door sections, a controlling lever carried by the door, means whereby movement of said lever operates to move said door sections to open position, and closing mechanism for said door sections, operatively connected with said arm to move the latter in a direction to move said door sections into closed position.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination, a plurality of complemental sliding door sections, a stationary abutment, a movable arm carried by the forward door section and operatively connected to said abutment, operative connections between said arm and the remainder of said sections, a controlling lever carried by the door, means whereby movement of said lever operates to move said sections to open position, said arm and its connections to said sliding sections being so constructed that a rear sec tion is moved at less speed than the forward section whereby all sections reach the limit of their door opening movement simultaneously, and closing mechanism for said door sections, operatively connected with said arm to move the latter in a direction to move said door sections into closed position.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, a plurality of complemental sliding door sections, a stationary abutment, a toggle lever connection between the forward door section ano said abutment adapted to be straightened when said section reaches door-closed position, operative connections between said toggle lever and the remainder of said sections, actuated by movement of said toggle lever to move the remainder of said sections into closed and open positions, a controlling handle carried by the forward door section movable relative thereto, and means whereby movement of said handle operates to break said toggle lock and to move said door sections to open position.

4:. In a device of the character described, in combination, a plurality of complemental sliding door sections, a stationary abutment, a toggle lever connection between the forward door section and said abutment adapted to be straightened when said section reaches door closed position, operative connections between said toggle lever and the remainder of said sections actuated by movement of said toggle lever to move the remainder of said sections into closed and open positions, a controlling handle carried by the forward door section movable relative thereto, and means whereby movement of said handle operates to break said toggle lock and to move said forward door section rearwardly toward open position, such movement operating to move said toggle lever to thereby move the remainder of said door sections rearwardly but at less speed than the forward section whereby said door sections reach the limit of their rearward door opening movement simultaneously.

5. In a device of the character described, in combination, a plurality of complemental sliding door sections, a stationary abutment, a toggle lever connection between the forward door section and said abutment adapted to be straightened when said section reaches door closed position, operative connections between said toggle lever and the remainder of said sections actuated by move ment of said toggle lever to move the remainder of said sections into closed and open position, a controlling handle carried by the forward door section movable relative thereto, means whereby movement of said handle operates to break said toggle lock and to move said door sections to open position, and closing mechanism connected with said toggle lever to move said lever in a direction to move said door sections to closed position.

6. In a device of the character described, in combination, complemental sliding door sections, a stationary abutment, a toggle lever connecting the forward door section and said abutment, and adapted to be straightened when said section reaches door closed position to thereby automatically lock said door section against opening movement, a link operatively connecting the rear door section with the rear toggle lever and actuated by movement thereof to move said rear section into door closed and open positions but at less speed than said forward section, a controlling handle carried by the forward door section movable relative thereto, and means whereby a preliminary movement of said handle operates to break said toggle lock and whereby a further and continued movementof said handle operates to move said toggle lever in the door opening direction.

HENRY G. VOIGI-IT.

Witnesses:

GWENDOLINE A. JACKSON, M. S. WIARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommiuioner oi Patents, Washington, D. G." 

